But I’m still here to tell you about it.
I went to immigration first thing in the morning to get a replacement for my Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) card. Three thousand pesos and a three-week wait, but I ain’t going nowhere just yet, so that won’t be a problem.
When I got to Royal for shopping, I realized I’d need to replace my rewards card. No big deal, but I did have a thousand pesos worth of points, so I paid the 25 pesos for a new card and then cashed in my points. So the morning wasn’t a total loss.
Got back home and delved into some memories Facebook shared with me.
And then there were the poems. I’m pretty sure I posted these here on the blog at some point, but I had to endure them again, and now so do you:
Alone Alone in my fantasies Alone with my dreams But when I wake with the dawning One sullen fact remains That I am alone in my love for you--- The sun doesn't shine; it rains.
The Only Way Perhaps the best way Is your way Maybe the best belief Is not to believe Maybe the only answer Is no answer And maybe the only time Is this time... And yet, Why can't our love Be the only love?
Okay, cut me a little slack; I wrote those almost 50 years ago as a lovelorn high school student. The really sad part is that all these years later, the words still resonate in my tortured soul. I’ve still got a lot to learn when it comes to love. Ah well, at least I haven’t given up!
My helper doesn’t cook for me all that often (my choice), but she made me a healthy lunch yesterday:
Speaking of food, I’ve got a pot roast in the crock pot. We’ll see how that turns out. And no, I didn’t use frozen beef this time. Pictures tomorrow.
I started my gin and soda tour sitting alone at the beach bar at Mango’s. It had been quite a while since I enjoyed the solitude of watching the bay while I imbibed my beverage of choice.
But man does not live by drink alone, and after a while, I craved some company. So, it was off to Cheap Charlies for me. Not many customers early on a Tuesday, so I had my choice of female companionship. I was in one of those moods where I didn’t want to leave anyone out, so I wound up with four drinking buddies.
But even full pockets won’t last long when you are quenching the thirst of four young ladies. So, I exercised my discretion and moved down the highway to Kamto. I hadn’t seen my favorite, Lydell, for quite some time, and being full of liquid courage, I decided to find out if she might be interested in someone like me as a boyfriend.
She’s good at what she does but does have the decency to not out and out lie to someone. I’m not sure what exactly was said (I’d had more than a few drinks by this point), but when I woke up this morning, I somehow knew that my next foray into romance would not be with Lydell. So good luck to us both in our future endeavors that will be on our own.
Alone again, naturally. I hope it comes through that I’m doing much better of late. I’m ready for whatever happens next and not afraid to take steps to make that happen. That’s about as positive as I get.
Oh, and I had a nice chat yesterday with an old friend from the Korea days who is also a daily reader of the blog. He offered some words of encouragement, we talked about life in the Philippines (he used to be a frequent visitor), and I enjoyed hearing his stories from the good ol’ days. It was a good reminder that many of my readers are following along, and I’m not really as alone as I sometimes feel. Thanks for that!
Chicken and veggies look good!
Regarding this (because I can’t leave well enough alone):
One sullen fact remains
That I am alone in my love for you—
First: really? Three dashes? That’s gotta be the hormones talking.
Next: why is being alone in your love for her a “sullen fact”? Do you want others to be in love with her, too, so that you’re not alone in loving her? Maybe I’m missing the logic, here, but it seems to me that being “alone in my love” (i.e., the only one in love) with the girl is a good thing. Or were you trying to say the love was unrequited? i.e., I love her, but she doesn’t love me, and in that sense, I am alone in my love.
Help me understand!
Hey Kevin, in my defense, I really don’t like that poem much, either. It’s just one of the few that somehow survived my many moves and divorces over the years.
As to the three dashes–that’s what is called “poetic license.” Yeah, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Another take might be that I’ve always sucked at punctuation. Actually, the paper version of that poem was written on a typewriter…too much hassle to fix a typo back in those days!
And yes, the “sullen fact” was that I loved her, and she didn’t love me back. Who knew that would turn out to be the story of my life?
How is your new drinking regime treating you? I imagine that you still struggle to pace yourself so that you give yourself enough time to get to a level of tipsy while you’re just reaching the end tail of your barhopping excursions, and still factor in the impromptu invitation by some of your favorite bar staff to come and grant their wishes to make enough money for the day.
On the other hand, after drinking all morning 🌄 (long story, don’t ask) I found myself wishing that there was another way. The 2 day hangover that followed this binge drinking on an empty stomach was rather expensive and wasteful.
On my next barhopping I decided just to stick with orange juice to see what would happen. I still had a great time, and I felt well enough to still be able to function the next few days. However, the only drawback of having a sober night out is that you tend to remember most of the details . I’m talking about the faux pas ,the pointless conversations and the social missteps.
I imagine that could be the only drawback for you, seeing as you’re not an extrovert.
But when you get tipsy, some things get a little hazy and the liquid courage can lead you to do some adventurous things. Good thing is you don’t particularly drink enough for a hangover, so you won’t lose a morning of activity 😉
I would recommend that you try that some time, not for the savings or your health, but as an experiment to see if you’ll notice the difference in reactions around you
And speaking of things around you
What’s the latest with your friends?
We haven’t seen Troy’s glorious goatee or Martin’s hiking shoes in a while. I guess that’s because you’ve been inactive .
And how’s the gentleman who had the traffic accident? I hope he’s recovering well
James, I’m getting a lot better at pacing myself with my new soda and gin routine (1 shot of gin, 12 ounces of soda water). That’s not quite the same as drinking OJ, but it takes a few to catch a buzz. I don’t think I’d enjoy my nights out in a completely sober state of mind. Of course, I haven’t tried it, but I think if I weren’t drinking, I’d just stay home and watch TV. And yes, I might get a hangover once a year, so it has really not been a problem.
Mike is still in the hospital and still not responding to visitors. He’s still alive, so there’s hope.
Troy actually shaved off his goatee a month or so ago. He’s currently visiting his kids in Okinawa. Martin is back in the USA for a couple of months.
…and still here reading…ff…😇